Prolonged Sitting Bad For People With Heart Diseases, Study Says

The negative effects of sitting have long been discussed and there have been studies to back it up. Hence, along with the increasing search for its other effects, a new study suggests that sitting has indeed negative consequences especially for those who have heart disease.

According to the study led by Dr. Stephanie Prince of University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Canada, people who have heart disease and spent a lot of time sitting were found to have higher Body Mass Index and lower cardiorespiratory fitness, Medical News Today has learned.

The study, which is published at the European Journal of cardiovascular prevention, also highlighted that even though people with heart disease are exercising, the effects of exercise have been found to be negated with prolonged sitting.

These findings are the same regardless of the person's age and gender.

In order to arrive at this conclusion, the researchers conducted a study with 278 patients who have Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). The participants, however, were required to have undergone and completed a cardiac rehabilitation program which taught them how to increase the levels of their physical activities.

The researchers assessed the patients activities through an activity monitor which they wore for nine days. Through the said monitor, the researchers will be able to accurately determine how much time the patients spend doing various activities as well as sitting.

MNT also highlighted that the researchers assessed the participants BMI and cardiorespiratory fitness -- the ability to engage in moderate and high-intensity exercises for a long period of time.

Through the study, the researchers found that the patients remained sitting and/or inactive in an average of eight hours daily. From this, the researchers also determined that male patients have an hour more time sitting or inactive as compared to women, which the researchers say are doing more light work in the house.

"Limiting the amount of time we spend sitting may be as important as the amount we exercise. Sitting, watching TV, working at a computer and driving in a car are all sedentary behaviors and we need to take breaks from them," Dr. Prince said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women with about 610,000 people from US dying from the disease.

In order to encourage exercising and lessen the time for sitting, Science Daily suggested getting up and moving every 30 minutes, standing up during TV commercials or doing light exercises while watching TV, taking lunch breaks outside instead of in front of the computer, going to bed instead of sitting in front of the TV and monitoring activity patterns.